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Robots to completely take over the lives of elderly people in Japan

The government of Japan is planning to have robots take over the lives of the nation’s elderly citizens, according to a report in The Guardian.

Japan’s elderly people are a growing proportion of the total population of 127 million, and taking care of them is becoming an issue of increasing concern.

Currently, there are around 33 million people in Japan who are over the age of 65, which is about a quarter of the total population.

According to The Guardian, the number of healthcare workers who can take care of the elderly will not be enough to meet growing needs.

An additional 370,000 caregivers will be required by 2025 and it’s unlikely that there will be enough humans to fill those jobs.

So, the government is planning to have around 20 per cent of elderly people who need care to accept being taken care of by a robot instead of, or perhaps as well as, a human.

The government has set a time frame of 2020 for this human-robot collaborative healthcare plan.

Moreover, government-backed agencies are developing robotics solutions for the highly likely possibility that some elderly people may not have a choice but to accept having their lives taken over by a robot.